If you have not heard of Yangshi Lei, the     1    (honour) name of the Lei family responsible for imperial architecture during the Qing Dynasty, then you have missed an important detail about the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan Garden.

All the above great cultural relics and popular tourist attractions have been included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List,     2     surprisingly enough, they are all designed by the Lei family.     3     (represent) the great achievements of science and technology in ancient China, their architectural practice covered a wide range of city planning, imperial palaces, gardens, temples, princes’ residences and schools.

Yangshi    4     (refer) to architect or architecture in Chinese. Yangshifang, the then government authority similar to the National Architecture Design Institute today, was in charge of site     5     (select), design and construction of imperial architectures.

    6     (amaze), eight generations of the Lei family were appointed director of Yangshifang consecutively from 1662 to 1911.

With so many architectural    7     (work) on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Lei Family is    8     unique phenomenon in the architectural history throughout the world. Apart from the grand architectures, China has another treasure left by the Lei family - design drafts. In the National Library of China alone, there     9     (be) up to 20,000 architectural design drafts, each of     10     plays an important role in the research of the history of the Qing Dynasty and how architecture developed at the time.

2 . It’s said that Mother’s Day was first suggested in the United States by Julia Ward Howe in 1872 as a day dedicated to peace after the Franco Prussian War. The holiday gained its ________ majorly due to the efforts of Anna M. Jarvis.

Anna began a letter-writing ________ to gain support for a national Mother’s Day holiday when her mother passed away in 1905. ________ influential leaders, including William Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and John Wannamaker, Anna poured out a stream of requests for support of the idea. She believed, mothers ________ their own special day and that it would help strengthen family bonds.

She ________ her mother’s church in West Virginia to celebrate Mother’s Day on the second anniversary of her mother’s ________, the 2nd Sunday of May. By 1911 Mother’s Day was celebrated in almost every state, and flowers quickly became a lasting ________ to express love on the occasion. In 1914, Congress ________ a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, “a public ________ of love and respect for the mothers of our country”. President Woodrow Wilson issued the statement, making it a(n) ________ US holiday.

But Anna’s accomplishment soon turned ________ for her. Annoyed by the ________ of the holiday, she filed a lawsuit (诉讼) to stop a 1923 Mother’s Day festival and was even arrested for ________ the peace at a war mothers’ conference where women sold white carnations (康乃馨) — Anna’s symbol for mothers — to raise money, “This is not what I ________,” Jarvis said. “I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not ________!”

Today Mother’s Day has become a very popular holiday in the USA.

4 . The world’s craziest festivals

Crazy festivals all over the world are out there just waiting to be celebrated. Join Cornelia Kumfert on a trip to the most unusual events taking place around the globe.

Burning Man Festival

Every year in Nevada (US) there is artwork and cunosities galore to marvel at when the Black Rock Desert changes into a mammoth art exhibition.

In August and September, some 70,00 people come here to celetrate the Burning Man Festival.

San Diego Comic Con

Surely superheroes don’t queue? Well, at San Diego’s Comic Convention they do. Each July hey open their dos to fans of Superman and other comic figures. More than 100,000 annual visitors have paid homage to their mythical heroes.

Crying Baby Festival, Tokyo

At the Crying Baby Festival in Tokyo (Japan), sumo wrestlers do what they can to bring babies to tears.

Sadists run riot? Certainly not! It’s a 400-year-old tradition based on a Japanese proverb, which says that crying babies grow fastest and parents believe the event brings good health to their children.

Palio Contest, Siena

Fame and honour await the winner of the Palio contest in Siena (Italy).

In July and August, ten inhabitants of different districts of the city jockey for first place in a spectacular horse race.

The trophy goes to the contestant whose horse crosses the finishing line first—whether he’s still in the saddle or not.

6 . “When I first started learning calligraphy, I just copied the teacher’s strokes (笔画), and my work was ugly.” said Aryan from Afghanistan. He is currently a graduate student in Beijing, ________ in International Education of the Chinese language.

During his six-year stay in China, he discovered the ________ of Chinese culture. He also realized that Chinese is steadily becoming a(n) ________ language, and more people around the world want to communicate smoothly with Chinese.

To his surprise, the curriculum for foreign students in China ________ the classroom. The school organizes extracurricular ________ to help them learn and experience ________ and culture. After closer and deeper ________ with Chinese culture, Aryan found his hobby: calligraphy.

“Initially, I didn’t know much Chinese and thought calligraphy would be difficult,” Aryan said.” Later on, I found out that calligraphy can help me ________ my Chinese language skills and my understanding of Chinese culture.

He used to ________ the idea that writing Chinese characters was all about writing them neatly. But he later found out that this view is ________.Calligraphy helps him to understand both each stroke and the Chinese ________ toward life. The horizontal, vertical (垂直的) and left and right falling stokes on the paper ________ Chinese people’s unique symbols and memories. They are also the hidden ________ to better understanding Chinese culture.

Not only did Aryan gain a deeper ________ of Chinese characters, but also developed a more mature personality along the way. Calligraphy gives him strength when he feels ________ and lost, finding his inner peace.

Tea is a healthy drink. Drinking tea in China could be considered as an art and to help people achieve a sense of calm and renewed energy. It is also     1     way to enjoy life better.

Stories     2     are about the discovery of tea are different depending on the people who you ask, but we know that Chinese people have been drinking tea since Shennong, 5,000 years ago. Usually, tea     3     (believe) to be medicinal, and is so central to     4     (day) life that an old Chinese saying includes tea in a list of seven important contents to be gathered each morning, along with firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy and vinegar.

Tea serves three primary     5     (purpose) traditionally in Chinese society: to show status, to bring people together and to improve wellness.

Drinking tea together is a sign of respect. In ancient times, “tribute tea”(贡茶) was     6     (special) kept for and presented to the Emperor. Tea still has a place in the life of the average people. It is common     7     (give) guests a cup of tea to welcome them into the home. But tea is more than a key of social customs. It is meant to act     8     a medium through which people can become much     9     (close) to nature. Drinking tea out in nature will create a spiritual connection to the environment and make people feel     10     (relax).

In a world that is full of different kinds of colors, red quite stands out. In China, people call this color China Red,     1     has become a quite popular expression     2     (catch) the world’s attention.

This expression fully shows Chinese people’s special love for red. So why are the Chinese really fond of it? One reason     3     (lie) in the color’s rich meaning in Chinese history and     4     (tradition) culture. In ancient China, red     5     (regard) as a symbol of health, energy, happiness, hope and so on. Now red things can be     6     (common) found across the nation, for example red lanterns. People can find red lanterns across China, especially during     7     (festival) and holidays. During the Spring Festival, people will see red lanterns hanging on     8     front gates of houses and stores, trees, etc. Besides red lanterns, things     9     Spring Festival couplets (对联) and invitations are also often red.

In a word, red is popular in China and it’s more than just a color. It carries the rich culture of this nation. And you’re welcome     10     (feel) and discover it in China.

10 . When Chinese people think of wushu, what often comes to mind is wuxia novels, a kind of historical novel that involves wushu warriors.    1    . For example, the characters may have superhuman strength or the ability to fly. They may also be able to focus their inner spiritual strength and send it through the air, knocking people over or breaking down walls.

    2    . However, by far the most popular author in this genre(文体) was Zha Liangyong(1924-2018) who used the pen name Jin Yong and sold over 300 million books worldwide. His novels have also been translated into many languages and some have been made into movies and TV series.

    3    , and then he goes off to learn wushu. After becoming a wushu master, the hero begins travelling the jianghu, fighting evil wherever it may be found. Eventually, the main character proves to be an example of justice, kindness, courage, loyalty, truth, and honesty.    4    , which refers to a person who holds back the strong and helps the weak. Through hardship, self-discipline and a well-known teacher, one can be a wushu master. However, he coming a wuxia hero, one should always bear xia in mind. A wuxia hero always puts friends, his people, and his country first.     5    . Through superior martial arts skills pus fiends, qualities he and his fellows save the day.